ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 1

Sir Thomas Malory

The Morte Darthur

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 2

15th-/16th-Century Historical Overview

Skeleton History, p. 3 Major English Political Events:

– 100 Years War (again), Battle of Agincourt– Wars of the Roses– English Reformation

Literary Events:– (Julian of Norwich, Revelations, long version)– Book of Margery Kempe

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 3

15th-/16th-Century Overview, cont’d.

– completion of Morte Darthur (MdA)– Caxton’s press– printing of MdA– conventional end of ME period, start of MnE

Europe:– humanism, Renaissance– Gutenberg’s movable type– Columbus’s first voyage– Luther: 95 Theses, Protestant Reformation

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 4

MdA: Life and Lit in 15th C. General trends:

– religious/social changes, restraints, pressures– rising bourgeoisie, growing money economy– political turmoil, “instability”– Wars of Roses, modernizing war technology

» “guns” ( = cannon)

MdA as social comment and warning– typical of Arthurian lit: nostalgic social critique

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 5

MdA: Form and Purposes Arthurian tales as history and behavioral

models -- cf. Caxton’s Preface “Mirror for Princes/Nobles/Gentry”

Genre: Romance (with some social/national relevance)

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 6

MdA: Structural Overview Bks. I-II: Arthur’s Rise Bks. III-IV-V: “When Knighthood Was In

Flower” (adventures of various knights) Bk. VI: Quest for the Holy Grail (sign of highest

heavenly love) Bk. VII: Guenevere and Lancelot (highest earthly

love) Bk. VIII: Fall of the Round Table -- “the unhappy

day”

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 7

MdA, Book VIIAn Anatomy of L & G’s Love

Poisoned Apple Episode

Elaine

Great Tourney

Meliagaunt

Lancelot’s Miracle (Healing of Sir Urry)

ENG 310A : Morte Darthur 8

MdA, Book VIII: The Unhappy Day Sources of the Tragedy?

– Evil + Fate + Conflicting Goods– good will and reason insufficient

character of fate or fate of character? reactions/judgments? ours? Malory’s? “here in this world, he changed his life” Rex Quondam Rexque Futurus:

– “King Once and King to Come” – “The Once and Future King”